Bill Kennedy

Bio:
Bill Kennedy (born William Gene Kennedy on November 10, 1966 in Phoenix, Arizona) is an American professional basketball referee. Bill grew up in Phoenix, attending St. Mary’s High School before enrolling in Arizona State University. While in college, Bill began his career as a ref, officiating high school basketball games. After school, Bill became a ref for the now-defunct Continental Basketball Association. Bill even officiated the 1995 and 1996 CBA finals. After the CBA folded, he began his long career as a ref for the National Basketball Association. In addition to his tenure as a NBA ref, he has also officiated two WNBA games, the 2010 FIBA World Championships and the 2012 Summer Olympics. Bill is the only ref to officiate the NBA Finals, the NBA All-Star and an Olympic game in the same year. In Dec. 2015, Bill ejected Sacramento Kings player Rajon Rondo for using an anti-gay slur against him. Bill later revealed that he was gay.

Best Known For:
Bill Kennedy is best known as a professional basketball referee.

Personal Life:
Bill is the second openly gay NBA referee, joining Violet Palmer, who is the league’s first female ref. As of the 2015-16 season, Bill has officiated over 1,000 regular season games, 68 playoff matches and give NBA Finals games.